Apparatus and method for providing hands-free operation of a device

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides an apparatus and method for providing hands-free operation of a device. A hands-free adapter is provided that communicates with a device and a headset. The hands-free adapter allows a user to use voice commands so that the user does not have to handle the device. The hands-free adapter receives voice commands from the headset and translates the voice commands to commands recognized by the device. The hands-free adapter also monitors the device to detect device events and provides notice of the events to the user via the headset.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.11/354,198, filed Feb. 14, 2006, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,542,787,which is itself a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/253,213,filed Sep. 24, 2002, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,027,842, with bothapplications incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention is directed in general to providing hands-freeoperation of a device, and in particular to providing voice commandsthat emulate a user's interaction with a device.

BACKGROUND

Mobile devices, such as mobile telephones, pagers and personal digitalassistants (“PDAs”), have made it easier to reach users. Users of thedevices typically carry the devices with them allowing a caller orsender to reach a user regardless of the user's location. However, thereare times when a user misses a communication because interacting withthe device is inconvenient or impossible. If a user is performing a taskthat requires both hands, then the user may not be able to interact witha device to receive a communication. For example, if a parent is groceryshopping with a couple of children, the parent may be using both handsto control the children and the grocery cart and may not be able tohandle a mobile telephone to answer an incoming call. Similarly, if amobile telephone is carried in a purse or a backpack, the user may notbe able to locate and answer the telephone before the caller hangs up,especially if the user is also driving a vehicle when the telephonerings.

Although there are currently some solutions that allow a user to use amobile telephone without having to hold the telephone, these solutionsstill require the user to interact with the telephone. For example, onesolution provides a headset or a speakerphone function so that the userdoes not have to hold the mobile telephone during a conversation.However, the user is still required to interact with the mobiletelephone to receive, end or initiate a telephone call.

Another solution is an auto-dialer that allows a user to dial atelephone number by speaking the number. However, most auto-dialersrequire that the user place a call using the keypad of the mobiletelephone to a remote server. Typically the auto-dialing service isprovided by a network element and the user is required to subscribe tothe service before using the service.

Thus, there is a need for providing an apparatus and method thatsupports completely hands-free operation of a device.

SUMMARY

The present invention meets the needs described above by providing ahands-free adapter that supports hands-free operation of a device.Unlike other solutions that require the user to initially interact withthe device, the hands-free adapter is active whenever the device ispowered so that the hands-free adapter can be used to perform anyfunction or command that is normally performed by the user interactingwith the device.

The hands-free adapter includes a device interface for interfacing withthe device. The device interface can be connected to a feature connectorof a mobile telephone or another type of interface provided by a pageror personal digital assistant (“PDA”). The feature connector (or otherinterface) provides information about the status of the device andaccepts commands and audio/data input.

The hands-free adapter also includes a non-volatile memory. Thenon-volatile memory stores a command prefix, voice commands and eventindicators. A command prefix is a word that identifies a subsequent wordas a command. Typically, the command prefix is a word that is notcommonly used in conversation. A voice command is a command selected bythe user for controlling the device. An event indicator is an indicatorselected by the user for receiving information about the device. Anexample of an event indicator is a special tone or “sparkle” that isplayed when the device receives an incoming call. The non-volatilememory also stores the software needed to operate the hands-freeadapter, such as voice recognition software.

In addition, the hands-free adapter includes a digital signal processor(“DSP”) and a headset interface. The DSP and the headset interfaceprocess audio received from the headset and provide audio to theheadset. The audio signals received from the headset are processed bythe DSP to detect voice commands. If the audio signals are part of atelephone conversation, then the audio signals are passed through to thedevice. However, if the audio signals correspond to a voice command,then the voice command is recognized by the DSP and is processedaccordingly. The DSP and headset interface also provide event indicatorsto the headset. If the user selects an event indicator message thatrequires the generation of speech, then the DSP performs the voicesynthesis. The interface between the hands-free adapter and the headsetcan be a wireless or a wired interface.

The hands-free adapter may include an optional computer interface. Thecomputer interface allows the hands-free adapter to communicate with acomputer using any of a variety of well-known protocols. The computerinterface may be used to configure and “train” the hands-free adapterfor voice recognition. The computer interface may also be used totransfer user preference information from one hands-free adapter toanother hands-free adapter, to back up the user preference informationor to upgrade the features of the hands-free adapter. Configuration ofthe hands-free adapter includes programming user preferences into thenon-volatile memory. User preferences include a personal directory thatassociates an identifier, such as a name, with a destination, such as atelephone number or pager address. User preferences also include theselection of other voice commands and event indicators.

The hands-free adapter can be connected to the device using a wired or awireless interface. The hands-free adapter can be a separate device thatis connected to the device or can be integrated into the device. Theheadset used with the hands-free adapter includes a speaker and amicrophone. The headset can be a conventional headset or can beintegrated into another article, such as a pair of glasses, a glasses'strap, a hat, or a vehicle.

The hands-free adapter monitors the device via the device interface.Whenever the hands-free adapter detects a device event, the hands-freeadapter notifies the user by sending an event indicator to the headset.The event indicator can be a message, such as a message previouslyrecorded by the user or a standard message, or a tone or series oftones. The event indicator is overlaid on any existing audio and is onlyplayed to the user.

The hands-free adapter monitors the headset via the headset interface.Whenever the hands-free adapter detects a command, the hands-freeadapter provides a device command to the device. A command prefix isused in addition to a voice command so that the user does notinadvertently cause the device to perform an unintended action. Thecommand prefix can be provided by the manufacturer or selected by theuser. The command prefix is typically a word that the user does not usein conversation. To issue a command, the user says both the commandprefix and a command. When the hands-free adapter detects the commandprefix, the hands-free adapter treats the next word as a command. Inaddition, if the hands-free adapter is passing audio signals from theheadset to the device, then the hands-free adapter mutes the audio tothe device, so that the voice command is not provided to the device. Thecommand prefix allows the user to use a voice command in conversationwithout triggering a device command because the voice command is onlyeffective if the voice command is preceded by the command prefix.Alternatively, the hands-free adapter can use context to recognize acommand without the use of a command prefix.

The hands-free adapter can also provide additional functions to theuser. For example, a hands-free adapter for a mobile telephone canprovide caller identification and voice mail to the user. If thehands-free adapter detects an incoming call from one of the telephonenumbers stored in its memory, then the hands-free adapter identifies thecaller to the user. Voice mail can be provided using the DSP and memoryof the hands-free adapter. The user can send an incoming call to voicemail, rather than answer the call. If so, then the hands-free adapterplays an outgoing announcement to the caller and records a message fromthe caller.

These and other aspects, features and advantages of the presentinvention may be more clearly understood and appreciated from a reviewof the following detailed description of the disclosed embodiments andby reference to the appended drawings and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a hands-free adapter in accordance with anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a hands-free adapter, a device and aheadset in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for generating a devicecommand in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for providing an eventindicator in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating the mapping between a voicecommand and a device command in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating the mapping between a deviceevent and an event indicator in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating the mapping between a voicecommand and a device command in accordance with another embodiment ofthe invention.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating the mapping between a deviceevent and an event indicator in accordance with another embodiment ofthe invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention is directed to an apparatus and method forproviding hands-free operation of a device. Briefly described, theinvention provides a hands-free adapter that communicates with a deviceand a headset. The hands-free adapter allows a user to use voicecommands so that the user does not have to handle the device. Thehands-free adapter receives voice commands from the headset andtranslates the voice commands to commands recognized by the device. Thehands-free adapter also monitors the device to detect device events andprovides notice of the events to the user via the headset.

FIG. 1 illustrates the main functional blocks of an exemplary hands-freeadapter 100. The hands-free adapter includes a device interface 102 forinterfacing with the device. The device interface shown in FIG. 1 is afeature connector interface for interfacing with a mobile telephone. Theterms device interface and feature connector interface are usedinterchangeably herein.

Most mobile telephones include a feature connector. The featureconnector provides signals that indicate the status of the mobiletelephone, such as incoming call pending, etc. The feature connectoralso provides the audio signals received by the mobile telephone. Thefeature connector accepts audio signals from the hands-free adapter andthe mobile telephone processes the input audio signals in the samemanner that it would process audio signals received from the microphonebuilt into the mobile telephone. The feature connector also receivescommands from the hands-free adapter and the mobile telephone processesthe commands in the same manner that it would process commands receivedfrom the keypad built into the mobile telephone. The feature connectoralso includes a power connection so that the mobile telephone can bepowered via the power connection. Although most mobile telephonesinclude a feature connector, the physical configuration of the featureconnector and/or the communication protocol used by the featureconnector may vary by model and/or manufacturer. Therefore, the featureconnector interface 102 shown in FIG. 1 is designed for use with aparticular manufacturer's device.

If the hands-free adapter interfaces with a wire line telephone, a pageror a personal digital assistant (“PDA”), then in one embodiment, thehands-free adapter is integrated into the device and the deviceinterface is not needed. In another embodiment, the hands-free adapterconnects to an external interface of the pager or PDA.

In addition, to the device interface 102, the hands-free adapterincludes a CPU 104, non-volatile memory 106, a digital signal processor108 and a headset interface 110. The non-volatile memory stores acommand prefix, voice commands and event indicators. A command prefix isa word that identifies a subsequent word as a command. Typically, thecommand prefix is a word that is not commonly used in conversation, suchas “Goober.” A voice command is a command selected by the user forcontrolling the device. An example of a voice command is “Pick-up”. Whenthe user says “Goober, Pick-up” the hands-free adapter sends a devicecommand to the device to answer the incoming call. An event indicator isan indicator selected by the user for receiving information about thedevice. An example of an event indicator is a special tone or “sparkle”that is played when the device receives an incoming call. Thenon-volatile memory also stores the software needed to operate thehands-free adapter, such as voice recognition software.

The DSP 108 and the headset interface 110 interface the hands-freeadapter with a headset. The hands-free adapter provides audio signals tothe headset. For example, if the hands-free adapter is connected to amobile telephone, then the audio signals received by the telephone inconnection with an incoming call are forwarded to the headset. If thehands-free adapter is connected to a pager or a PDA, then the textmessages received by the device are converted to audio signals andforwarded to the headset. The DSP and headset interface also provideevent indicators to the headset. If the user selects an event indicatormessage that requires the generation of speech, then the DSP performsthe voice synthesis.

The audio signals received from the headset are processed by the DSP. Ifthe audio signals are part of a telephone conversation, then the audiosignals are passed through to the device. However, if the audio signalscorrespond to a voice command, then the voice command is recognized bythe DSP and is processed accordingly. In one embodiment, the interfacebetween the hands-free adapter and the headset is a wireless interface,such as the BLUETOOTH interface. In another embodiment, the interface isa wired interface.

The hands-free adapter shown in FIG. 1 includes an optional computerinterface 112. The computer interface 112 allows the hands-free adapterto communicate with a computer using any of a variety of well-knownprotocols. The computer interface may be used to configure and “train”the hands-free adapter for voice recognition. In one embodiment, thevoice recognition function of the hands-free adapter are user-dependentand require training to recognize the voice commands issued by the user.In another embodiment, the voice recognition function isuser-independent. Alternatively, the device interface can be usedinstead of the computer interface to interface the hands-free adapter tothe computer.

The computer interface (or device interface) can be used to configurethe hands-free adapter. Configuration typically includes selectingfeatures and programming user preferences into the non-volatile memory.Configuration may also include the selection of a language so that thehands-free adapter is programmed to operate with a particular language.Features include voice mail and caller identification. User preferencesinclude voice commands and event indicators. The hands-free adaptersupports voice commands for creating a personal directory so that theuser can associate an identifier, such as a name, with a destination,such as a telephone number or electronic address, such as a pager ore-mail address. The computer interface can also be used to transfer userpreference information from one hands-free adapter to another hands-freeadapter, back up the user preference information, or add new features tothe hands-free adapter.

An optional battery 114 is shown in the hands-free adapter of FIG. 1.The hands-free adapter is operational whenever the device is powered.The hands-free adapter can share a battery or other power source used bythe device or use the battery 114. In one embodiment, the battery 114provides power to the hands-free adapter and provides a back-up powersource for the device. In this embodiment, if the device is a mobiletelephone, then the hands-free adapter may be built into a battery pack.

The components shown in FIG. 1 are exemplary. Additional and/oralternative components can also be used. Although separate componentsare shown in FIG. 1, the components may be integrated into one or morecomponents. For example, Motorola provides the MC9328MX1 processor thatincludes a microprocessor, memory controller, BLUETOOTH accelerator andmultimedia accelerator that could be used in the hands-free adapter.

FIG. 2 illustrates the hands-free adapter 100 connected to a mobiletelephone 202 via the feature connector of the mobile telephone.Although the interface between the device and the hands-free adapter isshown as a wired interface in FIG. 2, the interface can be a wirelessinterface. The hands-free adapter also communicates with a headset 204.The headset includes a speaker and a microphone. The headset can be aconventional headset or can be integrated into another article, such asa pair of glasses, a glasses' strap, a hat, or a vehicle. If the headsetis integrated into a vehicle, then the vehicle may provide a dockingstation for the device and a microphone and use the existing speakersprovided by the audio system. In one embodiment, the hands-free adapteris integrated into the headset.

If the hands-free adapter is used with a landline telephone, then thehands-free adapter is typically connected to the landline telephone aseither an add-on component or an integrated component. In oneembodiment, the hands-free adapter is integrated into the base of acordless landline telephone.

The hands-free adapter is powered whenever the device is powered so thatthe hands-free adapter can be used to perform any function or commandthat is normally performed by a user interacting with the device. Thehands-free adapter monitors the device via the device interface andmonitors the headset via the headset interface. Whenever the hands-freeadapter detects a device event, the hands-free adapter notifies the userby sending an event indicator to the headset. The event indicator can bea message, such as a message previously recorded by the user duringconfiguration or a standard message, or a tone or series of tones. Forexample, a message stating “Incoming call” can be used to alert the userto an incoming call. Alternatively, a particular tone or “sparkle” canbe used to alert the user to an incoming call. The event indicator isoverlaid on any existing audio and is only played to the user. Forexample, if the user is participating in a telephone conversation whenthe hands-free adapter detects an event, such as incoming call waiting,then the event indicator is provided to the user and is not detectableby the original caller.

The hands-free adapter does not modify any of the device settings.Therefore, if the device is a mobile telephone and the ringer isactivated, then the telephone rings whenever an incoming call isreceived. In addition, the hands-free adapter sends an incoming callalert to the user via the headset. The hands-free adapter also does notdisable the keypad. Therefore, the user can use either the headset orthe keypad depending upon which is most convenient.

In one embodiment, a toggle switch is provided on the headset to allowthe user to send a command to the device. The toggle switch allows theuser to answer an incoming call or to disconnect from a call. The toggleswitch may be useful in a noisy environment where a voice command maynot be easily recognized.

A command prefix is used in addition to a voice command so that a userdoes not inadvertently cause the device to perform an unintended action.The command prefix is provided by the manufacturer or selected by theuser. The command prefix is typically a word that the user does not usein conversation. To issue a command, the user says both the commandprefix and a command. The command prefix can be selected duringconfiguration of the hands-free adapter. When the hands-free adapterdetects the command prefix, the hands-free adapter treats the next wordas a command. In addition, if the hands-free adapter is passing audiosignals from the headset to the device, then the hands-free adaptermutes the audio to the device, so that the voice command is not providedto the device. For example, if the user selects “Goober” as the commandprefix, then the user says “Goober” before each voice command. Thisallows the user to use a voice command in conversation withouttriggering a device command because the voice command is only effectiveif the voice command is preceded by the command prefix. Thus, if “Hangup” is a voice command to disconnect a call, then the user says “Goober,Hang up” to hang up the device. Conversely, if the user uses the phrase,“hang up” in normal conversation without the command prefix, then thehands-free adapter does not interpret “hang-up” as a voice command.

In one embodiment, a command prefix is not required for all commands. Inthis embodiment, the hands-free adapter uses context to recognize acommand. For example, if an incoming call is detected, then thehands-free adapter expects to receive a voice command. If the user says“Pick up,” then the hands-free adapter interprets the input as a commandand instructs the mobile telephone to answer the call.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary method for handling voice commands. Instep 302, the hands-free adapter monitors the headset interface foraudio signals. As audio signals are received, the hands-free adapteranalyzes the audio signals in step 304 to determine whether the audiosignals correspond to a command prefix. If a command prefix is notdetected, then the No branch is followed to step 302 and the hands-freeadapter continues to monitor the audio signals received from theheadset. If a command prefix is detected, then the Yes branch isfollowed to step 306.

In step 306, a determination is made as to whether audio signals arebeing passed from the headset to the device. For example, if the deviceis a mobile telephone, then audio signals are passed from the headset tothe mobile telephone during a telephone conversation. If audio signalsare being passed to the device, then the Yes branch is followed to step308 and the audio signals are muted in step 308 so that the voicecommand is not forwarded to the device. From step 308, the methodproceeds to step 310. If the determination in step 306 is that audiosignals are not being passed to the device, then the No branch isfollowed to step 310. In step 310, the hands-free adapter receives thevoice command. The hands-free adapter determines the device command thatcorresponds to the voice command in step 312 and then sends the devicecommand to the device via the device interface in step 314.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary method for providing event indicators.The hands-free adapter monitors the device interface for an event instep 402. Typically, the events are predefined. For example, if thedevice is a mobile telephone, then the feature connector is monitored todetect an incoming call. If an event is not detected in step 404, thenthe No branch is followed to step 402 and monitoring continues. If anevent is detected in step 404, then the Yes branch is followed to step406. In step 406, an event indicator is determined. Typically, the userselects the event indicator during configuration of the hands-freeadapter and the event indicator is stored in the memory of thehands-free adapter. Once the event indicator is determined, thehands-free adapter provides the event indicator to the headset via theheadset interface in step 408.

FIG. 5 illustrates some exemplary voice commands for a hands-freeadapter for a mobile telephone. As discussed above, the voice commandstypically are selected by the user during configuration of thehands-free adapter and stored in memory. The “Pick up” command 502instructs the hands-free adapter to generate a command to the mobiletelephone to answer an incoming call. The “Hang-up” command 504instructs the hands-free adapter to generate a command to the mobiletelephone to disconnect a call.

The “Joe” command 506 instructs the hands-free adapter to generate acommand to the mobile telephone to dial XXX.XXX.XXXX. The “Hair Salon”command 508 instructs the hands-free adapter to generate a command tothe mobile telephone to dial YYY.YYY.YYYY. The entries for “Joe” and“Hair Salon” correspond to the user's personal directory. The user canselect a voice command that identifies a person or business andcorresponds to a telephone number, such as “Joe”—XXX.XXX.XXXX or “HairSalon”—YYY.YYY.YYYY. The user uses these voice commands in combinationwith another voice command, such as “Dial” to place a call. For example,if the user says, “Goober, Dial Joe,” then the hands-free adaptergenerates a device command that cause the device to place a call toXXX.XXX.XXXX. If the hands-free adapter detects an incoming call fromone of the telephone numbers stored in its memory, then the hands-freeadapter identifies the caller to the user. For example, if the eventindicator for an incoming call is “Incoming call,” then an incoming callfrom XXX.XXX.XXXX is announced as “Incoming call from Joe.”

The user may refer to the same person or business using multipleidentifiers. For example, the user may refer to Joe, as Joe and Joey. Ifso, then the “Joey” command may be a separate command or may be apointer to the “Joe” command.

The “Dial” command 510 instructs the hands-free adapter to wait fordigits or a voice command and to generate a command to the mobiletelephone to place an outgoing call. The “Ignore” command 512 instructsthe hands-free adapter to ignore the event so that no device command isgenerated. For example, the user may not want to answer an incomingcall. If so, then when the hands-free adapter notifies the user of theincoming call, the user says “Ignore” and the hands-free adapter doesnot provide any additional notifications of the incoming call or providea device command to the mobile telephone.

The “Okay” command 514 instructs the hands-free adapter to generate asend command to the mobile telephone device. The “Okay” command can beused to indicate that a dialing sequence is complete. For example, theuser can dial a seven-digit number by saying, “Goober, Dial ZZZ.ZZZZ,Okay” or dial a ten-digit number by saying “Goober, Dial ZZZ.ZZZ.ZZZZ,Okay.”

In one embodiment, the “Okay” command is used to confirm dialinginstructions. For example, the user provides dialing instructions to thehands-free adapter by saying, “Goober, Dial ZZZ.ZZZ.ZZZZ, Okay.” Inresponse, the hands-free adapter provides a dialing confirmationmessages, such as “Dialing ZZZ.ZZZ.ZZZZ.” The user confirms the dialinginstructions by saying, “Goober, Okay.” Once the user confirms thedialing instructions the hands-free adapter provides the dialed numberand a send command to the mobile telephone. If the user does not want toplace the call, then the user does not respond and the hands-freeadapter does not send the digits to the mobile telephone.

If the number being dialed is in the personal directory, then thehands-free adapter can use the personal directory to identify the personor business that is being called. For example, if the user says,“Goober, Dial XXX.XXX.XXXX,” then the hands-free adapter can provide adialing confirmation message of “Dialing Joe.”

The “Voice Mail” command 514 is used with the voice mail provided by thehands-free adapter. The “Voice Mail” command instructs the hands-freeadapter to generate a command to the mobile telephone to answer anincoming call. However, instead of the user participating in the call,the hands-free adapter plays an outgoing announcement to the caller andrecords a message from the caller. The “Voice Mail” command providesvoice mail to the user regardless of the availability of network voicemail. If voice mail is provided, then additional voice mail commands(not shown) are also needed to access the voice mail functions. Forexample, commands to play a message and delete a message are needed.

The “Create Directory Entry” command 516 is used to create a new voicecommand that corresponds to the user's personal directory. For example,if the user says, “Goober, create directory entry for SusanZZZ.ZZZ.ZZZZ,” then the hands-free adapter creates a new voice command“Susan” that corresponds to ZZZ.ZZZ.ZZZZ.

The “Sleep” command 518 is used to place the hands-free adapter in sleepmode. While in sleep mode, the hands-free adapter does not provide anyevent indicators. Sleep mode may be used when the user does not want tobe interrupted. The “Wake up” command 520 is used to place thehands-free adapter in its normal mode. Voice commands other than thoseillustrated in FIG. 5 are possible. For example, a voice command or aset of voice commands to support three-way calling can be included.

FIG. 6 illustrates some exemplary event indicators for a hands-freeadapter for a mobile telephone. As discussed above, the event indicatorstypically are selected by the user during configuration of thehands-free adapter and stored in memory. The “Incoming call” event 602instructs the hands-free adapter to play a message that states,“Incoming call” when the hands-free adapter detects that there is anincoming call on the mobile telephone. Typically, the incoming callmessage is played every time that the hands-free adapter detects a ringtone. The “Incoming call waiting” event 604 instructs the hands-freeadapter to play a message that states, “Incoming call waiting” when thehands-free adapter detects that there is an incoming call waiting on themobile telephone. Although not shown in FIG. 6, if the hands-freeadapter provides voice mail, then an event indicator indicating thereceipt of a message may also be included.

FIG. 7 illustrates some exemplary voice commands for a hands-freeadapter for an interactive pager, PDA or SMS enabled mobile telephone.The “Read” command 702 instructs the hands-free adapter to retrieve amessage from the pager and to play or read the message to the user. The“Reply” command 704 instructs the hands-free adapter to generate acommand to the pager to send a reply message. The user provides the textof the reply message. For example, the user says, “Goober, Reply yes” tosend a reply message that states “Yes.” The “Delete command 706instructs the hands-free adapter to generate a delete command to thepager to delete a message. The “Joe” command 708 instructs thehands-free adapter to generate a command to the pager to send a messageto joe@ipager.com. The user supplies the text for the message. The usercan create a personal directory of pager addresses in a manner similarto that described above in connection with a personal directory oftelephone addresses. The personal directory can be used by thehands-free adapter to announce that a “New message from Joe” has beenreceived.

FIG. 8 illustrates some exemplary event indicators for a hands-freeadapter for an interactive pager, PDA or SMS enabled mobile telephone.The “New Message” event 802 instructs the hands-free adapter to play amessage that states, “New message” when the hands-free device adapterthat a new message has been received by the pager.

Additional alternative embodiments will be apparent to those skilled inthe art to which the present invention pertains without departing fromits spirit and scope. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention isdescribed by the appended claims and is supported by the foregoingdescription.

1. A method for providing hands-free operation of a communicationsdevice, comprising: detecting a command prefix and a subsequently spokenvoicemail command; generating a device command that emulates aninteraction of a user with the communication device to answer anincoming call; providing the device command to the communication device;and playing an outgoing announcement to a caller.
 2. The methodaccording to claim 1, further comprising recording a message from thecaller in response to the spoken voicemail command.
 3. The methodaccording to claim 1, further comprising interfacing with a headset. 4.The method according to claim 3, further comprising processing audiosignals from the headset.
 5. The method according to claim 3, furthercomprising passing audio signals to the communications device.
 6. Themethod according to claim 1, further comprising interfacing with amobile phone.
 7. The method according to claim 1, further comprisingplaying a tone when the incoming call is received.
 8. The methodaccording to claim 1, further comprising detecting an event.
 9. Themethod according to claim 8, further comprising generating an eventindicator.
 10. The method according to claim 9, further comprisingoverlaying the event indicator onto an audio signal.
 11. The methodaccording to claim 8, further comprising providing the event indicatorto a headset.
 12. The method according to claim 1, further comprisinginterfacing with a computer.
 13. The method according to claim 1,further comprising wirelessly interfacing with the communicationsdevice.
 14. A system providing hands-free operation of a communicationsdevice, comprising: a processor executing code stored in memory thatcauses the processor to: detect a command prefix and a subsequentlyspoken voicemail command; generate a device command that emulates aninteraction of a user with the communication device to answer anincoming call; provide the device command to the communication device;and play an outgoing announcement to a caller.
 15. The system accordingto claim 14, wherein the code further causes the processor to record amessage from the caller.
 16. The system according to claim 14, whereinthe code further causes the processor to interface with a headset. 17.The system according to claim 16, wherein the code further causes theprocessor to process audio signals from the headset.
 18. The systemaccording to claim 16, wherein the code further causes the processor topass audio signals to the communications device.
 19. The systemaccording to claim 14, wherein the code further causes the processor tointerface with a mobile phone.
 20. A storage medium encoded withinstructions for performing a method, the method comprising: detecting acommand prefix and a subsequently spoken voicemail command; generating adevice command that emulates an interaction of a user with thecommunication device to answer an incoming call; providing the devicecommand to the communication device; and playing an outgoingannouncement to a caller.